


vaudevillian girls and violin strings

by frangipanejauregui



Series: they're all gay (a songfic collection) [2]
Category: Halsey (Musician)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Gay, Halsey - Freeform, One Shot, Songfic, ashley lets her stay with her, halren, halsren, lauren is kicked out for being bi, lauren jauregui - Freeform, love at first sight by the brobecks, songshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 11:13:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11690454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frangipanejauregui/pseuds/frangipanejauregui
Summary: "turn the lights off, i'm falling in love with you..."or, the one where lauren is kicked out for being bisexual and ashley offers her a place to stay.based on 'love at first sight' by the brobecks





	vaudevillian girls and violin strings

**Author's Note:**

> okay i know that clara and camila would never do something like this but there's gotta be a story yknow

Lauren burst out of her house, sobbing freely. Her cheeks were red, whipped by the wind and stained with salty tears. Shouts trailed her, hurling abuse as she tripped down the curb and nearly fell on her face. She clutched her small leather bag with white knuckles, hands shaking in fear. She ran down the sidewalk aimlessly, only knowing that she had to get far away from this toxic place as fast as possible or she would die poisoned and sick. “STAY AWAY!” Her mother’s roar echoed and ricocheted in her mind.

 

How had everything gone so wrong? It was all that jerk Camila Cabello’s fault. She thought Cam was her friend- or acquaintance, at least- until she sent her mom a picture of Lauren drunkenly hooking up with a girl at a party from a few months ago. 

 

It wasn't even the fact that she was underage and had enough alcohol to be drunk, just the mere fact that her lips had touched another woman’s was enough to send her mother over the edge. She had to admit to her mom that she was bisexual way before she had planned to (which was sometime after she moved out and was far away from her stinging insults).

 

The argument had escalated from there, with her mom calling her names like “maricón” and “pecador” so loud that the windows rattled. Chris and Taylor, her baby siblings, huddled together on the couch, terrified. She wanted to go over to them and hug them, to protect them from the gale force of her mom’s anger, but she was shaking, frozen in place.

 

Eventually when Lauren was able to get in a word edgewise, she said pitifully, “Mamí, I didn't ask to be born this way!” To which her mother drew herself up, huffed out a breath, and with a icy-cold look, told her, “Get. Out. And I'm not your mamí.”

 

Lauren thought she was kidding, but when she didn't move, the threw a vase- an actual antique vase- at Lauren’s head and screamed at her to pack, because in ten minutes, ready or not, she'd pick her up and toss her out herself. So she packed some clothes and food, and stole a couple hundred dollars from her mom’s purse. She kissed both of her siblings goodbye, and they clung to her and sobbed, but Lauren’s mom peeled them off her and chased Lauren out the door. Now, here she was, with nowhere to go and five hundred dollars to her name.

 

Lauren hid in the shrubs and cried until the sun began to go down and the yelling ceased. Then, she wiped her tears away, quickly grabbed her bike from the garage, and pedaled as fast as she could out of the suburbs and towards the town. She was shaking so badly from several panic attacks that she lost her grip a few times and fell, adding scratches and scrapes to her pitiful appearance of tearstained cheeks, bruises, and leaves in her hair. She found herself on the main street, locking up her bike. Her tremors had died down a bit, but she was still gripped with them, even if she could move better than fifteen minutes ago. She started to cry again, huddling in the shadow of a building.

 

Eventually running out of tears, she stood up, turned around- and ran smack into another person. They bounced off of each other. Lauren looked up and took in the other girl’s bright turquoise hair and soft hazel eyes. She seemed to be a little older than her, maybe 17 or 18 to Lauren's 15. The raw beauty of the girl's face hit her like a train. The girl wasn't wearing any bold makeup, just the tiniest bit of mascara and foundation, or an eye-catching outfit, just a pair of ripped jean shorts and a white shirt with a rose embroidered over the pocket. But Lauren thought she may have been the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen. She felt like she had been sucker punched in the stomach and the breath had been knocked out of her lungs.  _ Holy crap, is this what love at first sight feels like? _

 

The other girl looked up and saw the younger girl's eyes. Even with the exhaustion rings around them, this girl's eyes were the most gorgeous and clearest shade of green she had ever seen. Then she focused out and saw her tear tracks, and her matted brown hair, and the obvious distress in her shaking shoulders, and the tightness of her face, and the bloodshot color of her eyes.

 

“Hey, a-are you okay?”  The girl asked anxiously, helping Lauren to her feet.She was only about an inch taller than Lauren. 

 

Lauren backed up, disoriented at the thoughts crowding into her mind. “Um, I'm fine, uh, bye.” She went to stumble off, but she dropped her bag. Clothes and granola bars and wallet and phone and keys fell out and scattered across the concrete. The other girl let out an exclamation and fell to her knees, helping her pick up her clothes. A blush blazed across Lauren's cheeks as the girl's hand brushed against hers.

 

“Are you sure? Do you have a place to go? Because if you don't, you can stay with me.” said the girl, holding up the granola bars. “Tell me the truth.”

 

Lauren sat back in her heels and looked down. “No,” she whispered, after some hesitation. “I don't.” She had been crying all night, but it really hit her then that her mom had kicked her out and she would never see her papí and siblings again. She started to cry and shake again, harder than she had all night, much to her embarrassment. She pressed her hands to her face and sobbed.

 

Then, she was enfolded in a warm embrace, and the arms holding her smelled like chocolate and cinnamon. She was being hugged like she hadn't been hugged in a very long time, and now she was sitting on a stranger’s lap on the ground, a very pretty stranger, who had offered her a place to stay. Lauren slowly, hesitantly hugged the girl back.

 

Lauren tucked her face into the girl's shoulder and cried, now tears of gratitude more than fear and sadness. The girl rocked her gently, hands rubbing slow circles on Lauren’s back. She rested her chin on Lauren's head and said things like “it's gonna be okay,” and “shh- I've got you.” 

 

After what felt like hours, the sobs subsided and Lauren awkwardly clambered out of the girl's lap. The girl held out her hand. “I'm Ashley.”

 

Ashley. “That's my favorite name,” Lauren blurted out, and immediately regretted it. But Ashley smiled, head tilting to the side a bit, and a few moments after acceptable staring time, Lauren realized that she was acting like a stalker and shook her hand. “Jauregui. Lauren Jauregui. Jauregui is my last name, Lauren is my first, of course, my name isn't Jauregui Lauren Jauregui, because that would just be-”

 

Ashley touched a finger to her lips in a playful shushing gesture. Lauren immediately shut up, eyes widening and a blush coloring her cheeks again. “You're rambling,” Ashley said, smiling again and taking her finger away from Lauren's lips. “Come on.” She turned around and headed towards a little Honda Civic parked on the side of the road. The place on Lauren's lips where Ashley's finger was buzzed like electricity, and Lauren resolved to talk a lot more later so Ashley would do that again. “I'm happy to sleep on the floor,” Lauren called hesitantly. 

 

When Ashley didn't answer, Lauren picked up her bag and her bike and brought them to Ashley's car. She loaded them in and sat in the passenger seat. Her shoulders automatically went up so they were touching her ears, and she hugged her arms to her stomach. Ashley slid into the driver’s seat, and started the car. When she looked over at the younger girl, she noticed her closed-off posture. She put a gentle hand on Lauren’s shoulder. “Ease up, princess.”

 

“Sorry,” Lauren muttered, trying to unlock and loosen her muscles. And forget that Ashley had just called her princess.

 

Ashley began to talk, and she talked all the way back to her house. Lauren learned that her full name was Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, that she lived with her mom, dad, and younger brothers Sevian and Dante, and that she was bisexual as well.

 

“Sorry if you don't believe in that stuff, but that's who I am.” Ashley told Lauren. 

 

Lauren looked down at her knees and stuffed her hands in her pockets. She wished she could be as bold with her identity as Ashley was. “M-me too,” she said quietly. 

 

“Really?” Ashley exclaimed, grinning widely. “That's so cool! Are you out to your parents yet?”

 

Lauren's face fell, and she nodded slowly. Ashley must have seen the younger girl's expression, because her smile disappeared. 

 

“Oh.” Ashley said. “How long since they…?” She didn't finish, but Lauren knew what she meant.

 

“Just today,” Lauren mumbled. A few tears tracked down her cheeks, but she was mostly dull and cried out. She felt Ashley shift, as she pulled the car to the side of the highway, and parked. Ashley looked at Lauren for a while, searching her face, taking in every detail, then held out her arms. Lauren clambered over the seat divide and found herself being held for the second time that night.

 

“You can stay with me for as long as you want. I'll text my mom, I know she'll agree. She thinks that people who kick kids out because of their sexuality are not good parents.” said Ashley, muffled by Lauren’s hair. Lauren nodded again, and Ashley kissed the side of her face. It took all of Lauren's effort not to screech out loud, and she seized up again. Ashley took it as discomfort and hastily distanced herself. The moment disappeared, and Lauren moved back to her seat.

 

“I'm so sorry if that was uncomfortable, I didn't mean it,” said Ashley, starting the car back up again.

 

“I wasn't uncomfortable, it was fine,” Lauren responded quietly. Why did she feel so nervous and fluttery around this girl?

 

“Well, you seized all up, so I thought you might not have been used to stuff like that,” explained Ashley. “We're almost home. Are you hungry?”

 

Lauren liked the way she said ‘home’, like it was Lauren’s home too. She nodded.

 

“It's only 7, so my mom will have dinner ready by the time we get home.”

 

Sure enough, when they arrived, Ashley's mom met them at the door. “You must be Lauren,” she said. Lauren shyly held out her hand for a handshake, but Mrs. Frangipane disregarded that and smooshed her in a hug. “Ashley told me everything. You're welcome to stay for as long as you want. You can sleep in Ashley's room.”

 

“I was going to say the same thing, Mom, but  _ ask _ ,” interjected Ashley from the dining room. She had gone on to try and separate two little boys, who were wrestling on the living room floor. An older man, who was probably Mr. Frangipane, was egging the two on good-naturedly: “Grab his arm, Dante! There you go!”

 

“Come on, kidlets,” said Ashley, picking the smaller one up and throwing him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He squealed and pounded her back with his tiny fists. The older one sat on Ashley's foot and latched his arms around her leg. She picked him up too, so she had a boy over each shoulder. She roared and romped around the living room, finally seating them at the table. Watching Ashley with her little brothers, a warm feeling bubbled up in Lauren’s chest that she couldn't identify. A slight dreamy smile grew on her face.

 

“Hey, Lauren, what do you-” Ashley's mom had come in, but stopped talking when she saw the look on Lauren’s face as she watched Ashley. 

 

“Oh, is that-? Never mind.” She winked at Lauren. “Remember, open-door policy,” Mrs. Frangipane went back into the kitchen, and Lauren blushed hard. 

 

“Oh, Lauren,” Ashley called from the dining room, where she was pouring the kids some milk. “Come in here and meet my brothers. This is Sevian,” she pointed at the older one, who looked about 9, “and Dante.” She pointed at the little one, who looked about 5. “Boys, this is Lauren. She's going to be like your sister for a little while.” Lauren waved shyly.

 

“Why?” Dante piped up. Ashley looked at Lauren to explain.

 

Lauren knelt down in front of him. “My mamí won't let me come home, because I can love girls and boys, and she thinks that's bad.” She explained gently.

 

“Oh.” Dante said, eyes growing round. “Ashee’s like that too! But Mommy lets her stay because she loves her. Doesn't your mommy love you?”

 

Lauren shrugged. “I guess not.”

 

Dante thought for a moment. “Then me and Sevi and Ashee will love you instead, okay?” He said brightly.

 

Lauren smiled warmly, already feeling a sisterly affection for the two little boys. “I would really like that, Dante. Thank you.”

 

Sevian kicked his feet against the table. “Will Lauren read us a story tonight?” He turned to Lauren. “Ashley used to, but she doesn't anymore.”

 

“If it's okay with Lauren, I'm sure she will,” Ashley said. Lauren nodded.

 

Just then, Mrs. Frangipane came in with a pot of taco soup. “Anything I should know about how you eat, Lauren?” She asked. “Allergies? Vegetarianism?”

 

“Just that I'll eat anything- and everything.” Lauren joked. Ashley and her parents laughed.

 

She set the stew pot and rice bowl down on the table and the family dug in. After everyone had served themselves, Lauren ladled some soup into her bowl and spooned spicy rice into her plate.

 

“Eat the rice with the soup,” Sevian advised. Lauren tried that, and found it savory and salty with a pleasant kick. She quickly emptied her dishes of food and went back for seconds.

 

The family talked amongst themselves for a bit, then the attention turned to Lauren. They asked her what she liked to do (to which she responded singing and dancing) what her favorite subject in school was (drama and science) and what her favorite food was so Mrs Frangipane could make it tomorrow (orange chicken and cabbage-less chow mein, although she really wasn't picky).

 

Mrs Frangipane was sweet and made Lauren feel welcome, Mr Frangipane was jovial and made several bad puns that they all groaned at. Ashley laughed whenever Lauren tried her best to make a joke, no matter how flat it was and, around halfway through the meal, she felt Ashley's fingers intertwine with hers under the table. Lauren looked over at her, and Ashley gave her a soft smile and gently squeezed her hand. Lauren squeezed back, thankful for the comfort.

 

Sevian and Dante were tiny, rolling balls of energy, putting their two cents’ worth into the conversation whenever possible. Once the two boys had finished their meal, they both looked at Mr Frangipane, who sighed and said, “Yes, you can go.” The two of them banged away through the kitchen, hollering, and came back with four chocolate drumsticks. They kept two for themselves, and gave one to Ashley. Dante held one out to Lauren, and she accepted it gladly. As she ate, she decided that she liked this family very, very much.

 

Once they were all done, Mr Frangipane moved to the living room and turned on Nickelodeon, and the boys came running. Mrs Frangipane put the plates into the sink, and Ashley and Lauren did the dishes. “It's nice not to have to do this alone,” Ashley joked, flicking some soap bubbles at Lauren.

 

Afterwards, the two girls went upstairs to Ashley's room. It was medium sized, with red walls covered in posters for singers like Queen, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Nirvana. Her bed was littered in music scores, with an acoustic guitar on a hook above it, and an electronic keyboard sat in the corner. Ashley sat down and started tuning her guitar. “Shower’s there,” she said, indicating the bathroom door with a flick of her blue-haired head. “You can wear some of my clothes if you need them.” Lauren took this as a hint and went to take a shower.

 

She felt like a new person when she wrapped a towel around herself, like she had washed away all the taunts from her mother. She combed and de-leaved her hair, and put bandages on the worst cuts. She quietly opened the door, and heard Ashley strumming the guitar and singing what she recognized as Have a Nice Day by Bon Jovi:

 

_ I ain't gonna do what I don't want to _

_ I'm gonna live my life _

_ Shining like a diamond, rolling with the dice, _

_ Standing on the ledge, I show the wind how to fly _

_ When the world gets in my face, I say _

 

“Have a nice day!” yelled Lauren, jumping out. Ashley screeched, nearly throwing her guitar. Lauren sat on the bed next to her.

 

“Jesus, Lauren! You scared me half to death!” laughed Ashley, setting her guitar down. She noticed Lauren looking at her, and her smile disappeared. “What is it?”

 

“Nothing. It's just that-” Lauren looked down. She wondered if she had enough balls to say what was in her mind at the moment. “That you voice is really pretty, almost as pretty as you.” She burst out. Well, maybe she was ballsy enough, after all. Sometimes she surprised herself.

 

“Really?” Ashley said, as surprised as Lauren was about her outburst. “Thank you.” Her face split into a smile. “No one’s ever said that to me while genuinely meaning it.”

 

“It's true,” said Lauren softly. “And your voice is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.” She looked down shyly again. She suddenly felt Ashley rest her head on her shoulder. 

 

Lauren looked at her, and Ashley felt it and gazed up. All Lauren could see was Ashley's hazel eyes. 

 

The catalyst was when Lauren's eyes unwittingly flickered down to Ashley’s lips.

 

Ashley saw it and closed her eyes. And Lauren slowly, slowly leaned forward and brushed her lips across Ashley’s, gentle as a whisper.

 

When she leaned back, she heard Ashley say softly, “What was that?”

 

Lauren panicked. “I'm sorry, I've ruined everything, don't hurt me, just let me grab my stuff and I'll go-” 

 

Ashley did the shushing gesture again, and this time Lauren's entire body buzzed like a live wire. “No, princess. I was just wondering: is that really what you call a kiss?”

 

“Um-”

 

“Here.” Ashley slid one hand around Lauren's waist, but she drew it back slightly when Lauren flinched. “Is this okay?” She asked softly, and Lauren nodded. Ashley placed another hand on the back of Lauren's head, and this time she didn't move because she was too busy looking into Ashley’s eyes.

 

She leaned forward and kissed her, not the soft brush of Lauren's kiss, but a gentle and firm pressure that made everywhere that Ashley touched jangle with nerve endings. Lauren looped her arms around Ashley's neck and kissed back, only pulling away because her towel began to fall down. She leaped away and grabbed it before it exposed anything- ahem- unholy.

 

“I should probably go change before, y’know, that,” said Lauren hastily, turning around and running into a wall. Ashley gasped, then started to laugh.

 

Lauren found some clothes that she could wear and then found Ashley in the same spot, touching her lips with a dreamy smile. That gave Lauren a little bit of confidence. 

 

“Now, where were we?” Lauren said, grinning. She grabbed Ashley’s cheeks and their mouths collided in a desperate dance. 

 

“Whoa- someone's- eager,” said Ashley in between kisses. She squealed a little as Lauren grabbed her legs and looped them around her waist. After several minutes of kissing, Lauren pulled back and they stared into each other's eyes. 

 

Little did they know, Mrs Frangipane walked by the door at that time. She was going to say something, but then she saw the pure bliss in Ashley's expression and decided to leave them be. It was the happier that she'd seen her in a while. And if her baby girl was happy, she was happy too. Just as long as Lauren helped her with the dishes and read the boys their bedtime story.

 


End file.
